You won't believe how happy you've made me (made all of us)! I'm so glad you're back, but most of all, I'm so happy you've taken the time to take a pause and recharge. We'll be still here when you finish your PhD and beyond! Welcome back!
What a beautiful testament to being "Off Books" and "On Pause!" At 58, I am in my first year of PhD-ing, and yours if the very first RU-vid channel I subscribed to. Thanks for your Notion wisdom! I value your content and your spirit. Thank you for sharing it all with us!
Great to hear from you again, Holly! Taking a break is absolutely nothing to be ashamed of. I wish I had taken an official break, but because we have no strict time limit, I just kept it going while having a kiddo and the world suffered from a pandemic. Fantastic that you have a chance to get therapy and that you feel it helps, too. And the new job looks fabulous! What a beautiful space, too! All the best for this year and for your recovery in particular!
I’m happy you’re making videos again, and I’m glad to hear you’re doing better! It’s wonderful that you were able to really listen to your body and take the time off that you needed. I think it’s so important to be able to normalize taking breaks during a PhD, as this is something that doesn’t get discussed enough. Being a grad student is so taxing, and I think a lot of us feel like we need to just push through at the expensive of our health and well-being.
I’m so happy for you and proud of you ❤ Health is everything!!! I took a semester off my PhD when I injured my back and it was so refreshing to pause academic life for a while … you will get back stronger than ever!! Stay safe, happy and well😊 ❤❤❤
Man, this video is so relatable. I burned myself out doing Ph.D. coursework to the point I could hardly function. It was intense. At that time I planned to take a year off, but a fellow student talked me into pressing on for my last semester of classes and then moving forward with my proposal and dissertation. I actually regret the decision. After finishing the classes at the expense of my physical and mental health and then working to get my study proposal completed, I was truly burned out. The last two years I have put in some work, but not consistently or with much intensity. I have two more school years to get done, and a ton of work and major life demands. Right now, I'm working to get back in the zone of focused research work.
Holly Jane! How the Dickens did I miss that you were back?! It is so so good to see your beautiful face and hear Cody sing the song of his people. I am about to watch the other videos that I have missed somehow since this one! Much love to you, Katie x
That didn't seem rusty at all! You had memes, you had truth, you had some good advice and reflections and a good old dash of fun. Great to see you back in this weird little corner and wow! what a great workplace! I can't say I'm a religious person but I'm sure that building and the people who you meet there bring some great comfort. Looking forward to watching your 2023 adventures and hearing more of Cody's singing talents!
Great to hear from you, Holly! I totally identify with your journey - from PhD to cancer to taking a break to work on your health. I'm struggling with my dissertation right now, but knowing others are going through the same sort of thing makes me feel a lot better about my starts and stops. Oh, and your pup singing made me totally laugh! I think that is why I like your channel so much - you are always so funny, honest, and relatable. I hope for a joyous 2023 to you! Please keep us updated on your journey :)
I am about to start my PhD and I am learning a lot from you in this channel, which I've discovered just recently. Thank you! I hope you have a wonderful year and a smooth break! Health and our general wellbeing comes first always.
So great to see & hear from you again! I really appreciate how raw and honest you keep your videos, even in such difficult times. There are so many seemingly perfect PhD accounts all across social media, which makes it even more special to see how PhDs like all of life’s journeys are never linear and full of unexpected highs and lows. Hope 2023 will be a year of healing for you, sending lots of love!
Holly, you inspired me to start my DBA this year (part-time, I work full time). So important to look after yourself. Well done on everything and take your time - step by step. Love your doggy x
Congrats on taking a break! It is a bold and power action to take. From one cancer survivor to another - take care and I look forward to seeing more of your journey.
Welcome back! This was such a lovely vlog and thanks for keeping it real with us - health always needs to be a priority doesn’t it. Looking forward to any vlogs you have in store for the year, in whatever capacity life has for you. Good luck with your recovery xx
Holly! This was the greatest surprise to wake up to this morning. I'm so glad you're back, no matter how sporadically, because your health is absolutely number one, but we are so happy to see you!! This video was wonderful and I am just smiling so much!! Welcome back!! And cuddles for Cody :)
Lovely to hear you're doing so much for your health and seeing you back on YT. It's a long journey with these PhDs 😅 Your dog is great, made me smile and my dog bark 😍
So good to see you back. Hope you're feeling better really soon, and sometimes taking a break is the absolute right thing to do. Cody singing was beautiful!
I've been thinking about you! So glad you're prioritising yourself and normalising this - it's so common! Also, I love that when you said "that's just the way..." my brain answered "the cookie crumbles" and then you said the same thing - great minds, think alike! 💖
Nice to see you again, Holly :) love that you're taking time off to heal - pausing a PhD can often bring feelings of shame but it's 100% the best thing to do. Sending all the good vibes your way 💜
Loved the video Holly! I took a break from my undergraduate degree years ago and it was the best decision I ever made. Don’t think I would be doing my PhD now had I not. All my love xx
So sorry that your health has been kinda shit! That sucks so much. But this video is so relatable to me. I commented on a different video about my chronic illness, I was just able to take a semester off and now I’m back in my bachelor. I also did loads of therapy lol, and I’m still doing loads of therapy. All I want for the both of us is that our health gets sorted and we can go back to the things we’re passionate about!!
👋🏽👋🏽👋🏽 You're more consistent than me...I would've stopped making RU-vid videos after the first one 😅 Good luck to whatever you end up doing during this break period!
Taking a break is probably not that uncommon. My program allows for a leave of absence that effectively “stops the clock” on funding and timeline. I think communicating with your advisor is key, but sitting down with your Graduate Division program coordinator to find out the various options available is a priority. I’m considering either a filing quarter break from my TA position or a quarter leave to add a bit of time as my dissertation feels incomplete. I hope that this time off allows you to heal. It’s also okay if other things in life are more important,interesting…. A PhD is a goal in itself that sometimes has to be let go. Attrition rates are high 40-50%. Good luck!🙏🏽
Thanks Sarah! Agreed. Sometimes your desires change, and the PhD is not what is wished for anymore. I do want to finish mine, but I can understand why attrition rates are so high.
Today I received bad news: the funding application I submitted in order to complete my PhD was rejected. This means that by June I'll be unemployed and with no PhD. Over the past months my wish was just that, to take a break from life; I didn't even realise it was possible. I'm so happy you found a way to heal this year.
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